


Rules of the Unknown

by erialred



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:48:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 1,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28470396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/erialred/pseuds/erialred
Summary: She was an enigma for them, good thing they always loved solving puzzles.
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Please leave feedback, it is very helpful :)
> 
> WARNINGS: There is some darker material in this fic, so just a quick warning for everyone, read at your own risk. 
> 
> **The case mentioned is one that I made up.**

She puzzled him, she puzzled them all really. She was neat, she was quiet, she was kind, no one ever had a bad word to say about her; and yet, she was unreadable. To a team of seven profilers (well, six and one technical analyst), this aspect made her dangerous.

Every single day, she walked in and followed the same routine, even down to the path she took. She always did the same thing, greeted each and every person the same way. She seemed to get frustrated any time a mess was left, everything had its place; but while she never mentioned it, everyone could tell it bothered her. The team took notice of these occurrences, but after a while, came to a collective agreement that she probably suffered from OCD and it was left alone. 

As much as the team studied her, it was never obvious to the team that she studied them. While they watched her as if she was a prey, she watched them as if they were a predator. While she seemed to fit in with the team, she stayed cautious, guarded. She joked and joined in on their games, but still remained distant. 

"Does anything ever strike you as odd about her?" Looking at the girl through the glass window, Morgan sat at the table across from Reid. 

Reid responded without breaking his gaze on the work spread out in front of him, "I don't think I follow."

"Look at her, the way she sits and holds herself: she looks like a terrified animal. Not to mention the overcompensation to try and get us to believe there is nothing strange about her."

"Morgan, all of us did that when we first came here. We wanted to be liked and accepted, just like she does. She's only been here for two weeks, just give her time and maybe try to befriend her, I'm sure she would appreciate it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I really need to finish this."

With that, Morgan turned his attention back to the girl sitting across the room, "Yeah, I'm sure she would."

***************

"Wheels up in 20." The dismissal was clear, and with that, the team went their separate ways.

Sitting on the jet was an experience she had long hoped to gain, and it was everything she had imagined it would be. She admired the way the team bounced ideas off of each other. They looked at her for suggestions as well, and she gave them when asked. 

"I'm telling you, something's not right with her."

"Morgan, do you still not trust her?"

"Reid, it's not that I don't trust her, I think I'm starting to worry about her."


	2. Chapter 2

Walking into the local precinct was a horribly uncomfortable experience for the team. It was obvious even before the moment they arrived that this case was not going to be an easy one, even more obvious that they were not welcomed.

The crime scene photos hanging around the room were gruesome: bloodied children dressed in all white, arms and legs spread out as though they were making snow angels.

_“Angels.”_

A nearly silent whisper that went mostly unheard to the rest of the room fell onto a single pair of ears.

***************

Spencer walked up to the table where she poured over the details, working diligently to find the answer.

“Angels?”

She stopped mid-movement.

“I heard you earlier, you said angels.”

_“I was just thinking about those kids. They were innocent, they had done nothing wrong. No record of ever getting into fights or causing problems at school, they were angels.”_

“That’s not all, though, is it?”

She sighed, _“They were placed at the dump-site in a way that made them look like they were making snow angels. They were wearing all white and their arms and legs were spread out like they were making snow angels.”_

Spencer quickly looked back at all the photos, “The unsub hadn’t put them like that for a sexual purpose, she placed them that way for a more symbolic purpose. Maybe making snow angels made her feel happy and at peace when she was a child, so now she takes these children and makes them do that same thing, almost like she’s showing them mercy?”

***************

Spencer stared at the colored-in maps in front of him, she stood off to the side staring at the photo of one of the boys.

“Why him?”

_“He reminds me of someone that I used to know.”_

She dropped her gaze.

“Oh, I’m, uh, I’m sorry.”

He ducked his head down to try to save himself some embarrassment. 

_"It’s alright, Doctor Reid.”_

The smile she gave him offered condolences, but he was not appeased.

“You look at those photos a lot, did you see anything we might have missed?”

Her answer came quick

 _“No,”_ is all she said before turning away and focusing her attention back onto the map.


	3. Chapter 3

“They were just kids, why do they have to go after the children?”

Hotch was trying not to show how much this case was getting to him, but they all knew it. 

“Why them?”

“Hotch, we don’t know why she chooses children--”

“No, why these children specifically? What connects them?”

That question got the team moving, they all migrated around the room in an attempt to figure out the victimology. 

Derek’s eyes kept drifting back to the strange girl staring at the photos taped to the board. 

He walked up to her, “What do you see?” 

She jumped. 

_ “I was just thinking about these kids.” _

She studied the photos for another second before letting out a gasp.

_ “They were being abused, that’s how they were getting taken.” _

The team looked at each other in surprise. She immediately dropped her gaze and backed away from the board. 

***************

Spencer walked through the doorway and sat in the empty chair to her left. 

“How did you know?”

She glanced over in his direction, but didn’t speak. 

“You knew that it was the social worker, but how did you know they were being abused and had called someone?”

_ “It was just an educated guess.” _

Spencer was not convinced, but didn’t speak further.

“We’re leaving tomorrow morning, so we should both try to get some rest.

***************

She sat on her bed, breathing labored. She felt like she had just finished a 10k. In reality, she had just woken up. 

A knock on the door alerted her attention. She glanced across the hotel room before her eyes landed on her gun sitting on the table. She stood, glancing at herself in the mirror before crossing the room and looking out the peephole. 

Letting out a breath, she opened the door. 

_ “Dr. Reid, Agent Morgan, for what do I owe the pleasure at…”  _ She glanced at the clock,  _ “3:45 in the morning?” _

The look on their eyes worried her,  _ “Did something happen with the case?” _

They shared a look before Morgan spoke up, “Can we, uh, can we come in?” 

She opened the door wider for the two of them and stepped out of the way. She softly shut the door behind them. 

_ “Is something wrong?” _

“That’s why we’re here actually. We just wanted to check on you.”

Morgan, ever the leader, took over the conversation while Reid, ever the observer watched her closely. 

She looked flustered,  _ “I, um, appreciate the concern, but I assure you I am perfectly fine.” _

A quick smile was thrown in their direction and with that, they stood. 


	4. Chapter 4

“Hey Pretty Boy, what’s going on in that genius head of yours?”

Spencer had kept a troubled look on his face, even after returning into the office after leaving the jet. 

He looked around like he was looking for something, or rather _someone_. 

“I spoke to her, on the jet. She, uh, she addressed me as ‘Dr. Reid’.”

“And? We all do it.”

Spencer shook his head, “No, you introduce me as such, you guys don’t call me that in conversation.”

Derek’s eyes flicked towards the door, as if seeing if she would walk through. 

“Now that I think about it, I can’t recall a single time she hasn’t addressed us formally.”

***************

“Morgan, I think something happened to her.”

“Reid, she said nothing was wrong, we can’t just snoop--”

“Morgan, she let us in with no question, but then stood near the door.”

“So?”

“She didn’t block us from leaving, if anything she was planning her escape. She kept glancing at her gun, like she was calculating how much time she would have to grab it if something went awry. Not only did she look at her gun, she was scanning the room for exits. Morgan, she was terrified of us being in her space, she refused to leave herself unguarded without an escape route. Now, what does that look like to you?”

***************

Reid stared at her from across the jet, everyone else remained fast asleep. He wanted to talk to her, but talking was never his strong suit and he really did not want to freak her out. 

While Reid remained deep in thought, she stared at him. As their eyes met, they both quickly cast their eyes away. He finally stood and walked to her seat, sitting across from her. 

“You know, when I first joined the team, I wasn’t very welcomed.”

She gave him a confused look.

“Don’t get me wrong, they were nice enough, but I could just tell that I wasn’t welcomed. You don’t live an entire life of being unwelcome in any room or conversation and not know what it feels like.”

He looked uncomfortable. 

The surprise could clearly be heard in her voice when she spoke. 

_“Why did you tell me this?”_

“I had never told anyone that before,” he had a look of surprise on his face, like he couldn’t believe he had said it out loud either, “I just don’t want you to feel as though we aren’t welcoming you.” 

_“Thank you Dr. Reid.”_

***************

“Why did you look so distressed when Morgan asked how you were the other night?”

She didn’t even look up from the book she was currently scanning, _“What do you mean?”_

“Oh, um, nothing. Sorry.” 

His eyes quickly averted back down to the page in front of him, but his eyes remained unfocused. His brain was whirring with theories, one word stood out to him the most. Without thinking, he asked a question. 

“Were you abused?”


End file.
